Durham adds support for new refueling tankers at Pease

By Andrea Bulfinch

abulfinch@fosters.com

fosters.com

By Andrea Bulfinch

abulfinch@fosters.com

Posted Feb. 1, 2013 at 3:15 AM

By Andrea Bulfinch

abulfinch@fosters.com

Posted Feb. 1, 2013 at 3:15 AM

DURHAM- The town has announced its support for basing the new Air Force Tanker KC-46A Squadron at the Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington, passing a resolution citing long term stability for the Air National Guard, and additional jobs for the region and its residents.

Five locations, including Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington, are being considered for the KC-46A. The other four sites are, Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Ohio; Pittsburg Air National Guard Base in Penn.; Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey; and Forbes Field Air National Guard Base in Kansas.

According to ANG Lt Col. Paul Kell, Pease is in the running and would be an ideal base due to its location.

Since there is no active duty refueling squad in New England, it would make sense to base one here, he said, for flights traveling overseas or to the Middle East who fly directly overhead.

“By basing the tanker here it would save the government a lot of money,” he said.

The project is being phased in over the next decade or so.

Another 70 positions could be added to the active duty Air Force personnel currently assigned to Pease. The fleet of eight aircraft currently in use will grow to a fleet of 12, though a significant change in the number of flights over Pease is not anticipated.

It could also mean quieter skies above with the new tanker. The KC-46A will have only two engines instead of four, is based on the Boeing 767, and will use the same commercial engines as the 767-300 model.

“Based on data that the NH Air National Guard has provided, the KC-46A should be quieter than the KC-135Rs that the NH National Guard currently fly,” Selig said. Portsmouth announced similar support for bringing the new tankers to Pease in an announcement last week.

“Good neighbor” policies voluntarily in place by the NH Air National Guard mean practices like not flying any practice approaches during the overnight hours, remaining at higher altitudes when flying over local communities, and not descending down to their lowest minimum altitudes on some practice approaches help to minimize noise in the area already.

“The new KC-46A’s will also produce fewer emissions and are more fuel-efficient which is consistent with the town council’s goal of economic and environmental sustainability,” he said.

A survey team will be spending a week at each of the five locations verifying the information that was submitted by the NH Air National Guard wing located at Pease. Once the site surveys are completed, an recommendation is expected to be made in March to the Air Force. An announcement for which base has been selected is anticipated for this summer.

“It is hoped than an announcement will be made this summer and that Pease will be the obvious choice, hands down,” Durham Town Administrator Todd Selig said.

Kell said a base on the east coast, the west coast, and the center of the county would be ideal.

“We’re hoping to fill that need for a base on the east coast,” he said.